How the Apparel Industry Could Refashion Itself with Sustainability in Mind

A bit of retail therapy can feel like harmless fun. Yet getting a great deal on a new shirt or pair of shoes may come with a hidden price tag: greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion, and the mistreatment of workers and animals. The average cotton T-shirt, for example, requires about 700 gallons of water to make. A fast-fashion polyester top is made from petroleum, sheds microfibers, and may spend decades decomposing in a landfill.

And the apparel industry’s footprint has been expanding. Global fiber production has more than doubled since 2000, and consumers are buying more clothes as fast-fashion brands churn out inexpensive looks. To mitigate the environmental and social issues associated with the apparel industry, companies and consumers alike must shift toward sustainability, says Barchi Gillai, the associate director of the Value Chain Innovation Initiative (VCII) at Stanford Graduate School of Business. “It’s a responsibility that all of us share,” she says.

In a new white paper, Gillai and her colleagues examine the production processes behind three essential everyday materials: polyester, cotton, and leather. Coauthored by Hau Lee, VCII’s faculty codirector and a professor emeritus of operations, information, and technology; Jessica Landzbergopen in new window, MBA ’23; and Nina Sabharwalopen in new window, MBA ’23, the paper explores each material’s unique impacts and details potential solutions.